MLB Player News

Smith struck out two in 1.1 perfect innings Tuesday to record his 12th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Angels.

Slade Cecconi gave the Guardians only four innings, but five different relievers stepped up to get the team across the finish line, with Smith working more than one inning for only the second time in 19 appearances this season. The right-hander is tied for the major-league lead in saves with the Cardinals' Riley O'Brien and the Padres' Mason Miller, and Smith has put his early-season struggles firmly behind him -- he's issued just one walk in his last 13.2 innings, delivering a 1.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB since April 7.

Cecconi didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Angels, allowing five hits and a walk over four scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Inefficiency cost Cecconi a chance at his third win of the season, as the right-hander needed 89 pitches (59 strikes) to record just 12 outs and left the mound with Cleveland ahead 2-0. Cecconi has completed six innings only once in nine starts, and he'll take a 5.60 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 38:17 K:BB through 45 innings into his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in Detroit.

Grissom went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians.

The 25-year-old infielder drove a Franco Aleman fastball 406 feet the other way to right-center field in the eighth inning for the game's final bit of offense. It was Grissom's second homer of the season, and while he's also seen occasional action at first base and third base, he's emerged as the primary second baseman for the Halos since joining the big-league roster a month ago. Over his last 16 contests, Grissom is slashing .278/.310/.500 with six doubles, two long balls, four runs and nine RBI.

Urena (1-4) took the loss Tuesday as the Angels fell 3-2 to the Guardians, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.

The rookie right-hander wasn't particularly efficient and got lifted after 91 pitches (50 strikes), but he kept the damage limited and the only extra-base against him was a solo shot by Angel Martinez in the third inning. Urena has worked at least five innings and given up two runs or fewer in three straight outings, and since joining the rotation April 19 he's delivered a 3.51 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 24:14 K:BB over 25.2 innings. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the A's.

Martinez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

Martinez connected for his sixth home run of the season in the third inning to give the Guardians an early lead, and then swiped his sixth bag in the seventh. A strong April (five HRs, .825 OPS) has given way to a pedestrian May for Martinez, who entered Tuesday's contest batting .200 (6-for-30) with one extra-base hit and two RBI over the previous 10 games.

Armstrong (groin) allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out two over one inning for Double-A Akron on Tuesday.

Armstrong began a rehab assignment with the RubberDucks on Tuesday. He threw 19 pitches (11 strikes) and will likely need another outing or two before rejoining Cleveland's bullpen. He hasn't pitched since April 21 and can be activated at any time.

Haggerty replaced Brandon Nimmo (ankle) in Tuesday's 7-4 win over Arizona. He went hitless in his lone plate appearance.

Nimmo landed awkwardly when legging out an infield single in the sixth inning. Haggerty entered as a pinch runner and remained in the game to play left field, while Alejandro Osuna moved from left to right field. With Nimmo day-to-day and Wyatt Langford (forearm) on the injured list, Haggerty could grab some starts in the coming days. He's filled a minor role with the Rangers, totaling just 33 plate appearances and batting .161 over 25 games so far this season.

Pederson batted leadoff and went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-4 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Pederson hit leadoff and the move paid immediate dividends, as he hit a home run on the second pitch he saw in the first inning. Brandon Nimmo, who left the game with an ankle injury, had previously been the Rangers' leadoff batter when healthy before batting second Tuesday. Pederson had reached base safely in the first four games of the team's current homestand, and manager Skip Schumaker explained pregame to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that he was trying to get runners on base for Nimmo and "lengthen the lineup." It's unclear if Pederson will continue to hit atop the order.

Duran went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three total runs and two total RBI in a 7-4 win over Arizona on Tuesday.

Duran's first RBI came on a solo homer in the fourth inning, and he added a run-scoring infield single in the fifth. The utility man has settled into a regular role as the Rangers' starting second baseman in the absence of Josh Smith (wrist/lower body). Smith hadn't been hitting well prior to his injury, while Duran is slashing a strong .296/.369/.480 on the season, so the latter may retain the starting job at the keystone even after Smith returns.

Triple-A Norfolk activated Trimble (hamstring) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Trimble wound up missing a bit over a month of action due to right hamstring discomfort, but he's back in action for Norfolk following a seven-game rehab assignment with the Single-A and High-A clubs. The 25-year-old outfielder made a splash in his return to the Triple-A level Tuesday, blasting a three-run homer in his second game with the Tides this year.